Protracted war could plunge 90% of Ukrainians into poverty – UNDP

Around 90 per cent of the Ukrainian population could be facing poverty should the war with Russia deepen, according to the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

In the event of a protracted conflict, 18 years of socio-economic achievements could be lost.

The agency warned as it released an early projection on the war’s development impact on Wednesday.

“Every day of delayed peace will accelerate a free-fall into poverty for Ukraine,” the UNDP warned.

The UNDP added that the war could leave deep social and economic scars for generations to come.

The acute impacts of a prolonged war were now becoming more apparent, said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“An alarming economic decline, and the suffering and hardship it will bring to an already traumatised population, must now come into sharper focus.

“There is still time to halt this grim trajectory,’’ he said in the statement.